BEHIND THE SCENES

MODELS BY CINDY LIN

Did you know that Geffen Playhouse builds the set for each play from scratch? The Scenic Designer works in collaboration with the Director and Playwright to develop a vision that fully represents the play. Power of Sail Scenic Designer Rachel Myers shares:

“When I read a script I normally have a reaction in terms of textures and materials of what the world feels like. There’s a lot of other interesting research and factors that played into the specific design of this show. It was important to both Director, Playwright and me that what we had on stage felt minimal and essential. Just enough details to tell the story and just as the play presents different versions of how the action unfolds—we see the set change in different ways and expose more as our story goes on.

After a design concept is created, it is built into a miniature dollhouse-sized model before full conception. A typical design process includes about 4-6 weeks of planning and preparation (drawings, models, and renderings) before building begins in the scenery shop. Thereafter, it can take about 3-4 weeks for construction and painting to create depending on the scale and scope of the design. A team of 10-12 production and technical staff was needed to fully execute the Power of Sail set.

Take a look at the above miniature version of the Power of Sail set. While watching play, take notice if anything in the design changed after the set was built. Do you see something while experiencing the play that you did not see in this smaller version?

DID YOU KNOW?

• The phrase “power of sail” refers to a maritime law that states that a ship under power of a motor must give way to a ship under power of sail.

• Playwright Paul Grellong started working on Power of Sail about twenty years ago in response to Holocaust denial from far-right groups, but never finished it until 2017, when the Warehouse Theatres’ producing Artistic Director Mike Sablone encouraged Grellong to re-visit the script. Grellong changed everything about the script except for the central character and the structure.

• Some of the conversations in the script are versions of real conversations the Playwright had with friends, colleagues, and family members about what free speech means.